PTI MNAs to oppose constitutional bills

Members instructed to refrain from voting

ISLAMABAD:

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has issued a directive instructing its MNAs not to support any bills, whether government-sponsored or private, that propose amendments to the Constitution.

The directive, signed by PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan, was circulated among all members of the National Assembly. The notice stated that the directive was being issued in accordance with the decisions made by the PTI's parliamentary party in the NA.

According to the directive, PTI will not endorse any bill suggesting amendments to the Constitution. Members are explicitly instructed to refrain from voting on any such bills or proposals.

The directive also stated that all PTI members are bound by the instructions issued by the chairman under Article 63-A of the Constitution. It warned that any member who opposes these directives will face disqualification proceedings, which could result in the loss of their assembly membership.

Reports and speculations have been swirling since the weekend about a fresh legislative package targeting the judiciary, whose independence and bold stance have become a thorn in the regime's side following the majority verdict in the case of the reserved seats favouring the PTI.

It bears mentioning that the coalition government lost its grip on direct constitutional amendments after the Supreme Court struck down the ECP's allocation of dozens of additional seats to the ruling parties.

Despite this legal roadblock, the word on the street is that the government has been quietly crafting amendments to extend the tenure of key state institution heads beyond their retirement.

Besides, there's chatter about other potential changes in the works, including giving the government the power to shuffle high court judges without their consent.

In a related development, the leader of the opposition in the NA, Omar Ayub Khan, has stressed the need to create a conducive environment for dialogue, stating that the current conditions are not favourable for negotiations.

Following a meeting of the PTI's parliamentary committee chaired by Barrister Gohar Khan in Islamabad, Ayub addressed the media, highlighting the importance of setting the right atmosphere for talks.

"The environment for negotiations is not suitable at the moment; we aren't even aware of any ongoing dialogue," he remarked.

He stressed that PTI's stolen mandate must be returned, their legal cases must be resolved, and the party's founding chairman must be released before any negotiations can take place.

When questioned about Khawaja Asif's opposition to the talks, Ayub dismissed Asif's stance, saying, "Khawaja Asif doesn't even know what's happening in his own ministry."

Ayub further mentioned that Mahmood Khan Achakzai has been tasked with handling the negotiations by the PTI founder. "I will meet with Achakzai today to gather information about the talks," he added.